Comments on: FDA Urged To Ban Some Food Dyes

Group Says 8 Artificial Colorings May Cause Hyperactivity And Behavior Problems In Some Kids

[grammawhamma]

KTINWI: I will repeat my prior post since you obviously missed it.


Read the article....the majority of the dyes are in sweets and junk food. Kids shouldn''''t be given that c.r.a.p anyway.


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Posted by GrammaWhamma at 03:53 AM : Jun 04, 2008

[rettsd]

My daughter is living proof that we are using to many chemicals, dyes and enhancers in our diets. She not only had behavioral problems but suffered incontinence and irritable bowel syndrome any time she had food containing certain chemicals/dyes. I have to agree that the only time it is "bad parenting" is when you don''t take action other than perscriptions to handle an issue with your child.

[izzypop7]

its a vicious cycle. Like parents of children with disibilities arent stressed enough!

[genericmom]

AND....if dye were ONLY in sweets and junk, I wouldn''t complain. But it''s in cereal (Life for example) and kids vitamins, and toothpaste and medicines. It''s even in white foods like marshmellos...Blue 1 makes the product whiter! Living a dye free existance takes committment and hard work. I read every label on every product my family is going to put into their body. Dyes are MUCH more pervasive than the average person knows. And the dyes are petroleum based. Why would you put a petroleum product in food? To make it "meet consumer expectations?" How about not poisoning us, that''s MY expectation.

[izzypop7]

I have a son with several conditions because of prematurity NOT parenting. How does one afford these organic foods when money is so tight? we are in a financial bind now with medical issues. I blame the government for pushing organic prices up cause they cant stay competitive

[genericmom]

I think everyone always assumed bad behavior after eating something like Skittles was due to sugar...we''re getting closer to admitting it was really the dyes. All I know is my daughter is controllable when we eliminate dyes from her diet. Before we eliminated dyes, I refused to take her out in public because her behavior was so unpredictable and inappropriate.

Nobody is talking about killing puppies...this is the kind of behavior that makes little Timmy''s teacher insist on Ritalin, turning little Timmy into a zombie, not helping him learn better but making him easier to control and less distracting in a class room. Eating organic or dye free food is a better and safer way to control little Timmy.

[ktinwi]

Extremophil, we enjoy a diet full of rich vibrant colors - our fruits, our vegetables - heck, even our cupcakes are colored naturally. If I were to serve you a meal free of food dyes, you''d never know it. (and you''d enjoy the food so much, you would''nt care!)

[deeberj]

jboxton, you don''t know what you are talking about.When my child eats all natural food and no artificial dyes, his behavior is normal. When he eats artificial dyes, his behavior is awful. Because we avoid artificials, his behaivor is always normal now. How is this bad parenting?

And Extremophil, food had color long before artificial dyes were invented. Real food is not grey.

It''s only bad parenting to allow something to go on knowing it adversely affects your child''s life.

[ktinwi]

Grammawhamma - you''re way out of line. I challenge you to spend a week with an ADHD child on Skittles and Hi-C -and see any improvement with your "discipline techniques". It just won''t happen. Indulging our kids with these colors, is like giving them a cocktail every morning - and you can''t reason with a drunk. I run a daycare and have seen first-hand the difference between disciplining a child on a healthy additive free diet vs disciplining a child pumped with food dyes. For that reason, I refuse to serve anything but all natural meals and snacks at my daycare. My discipline methods are far more effective that way.
Using the dyes as a scapegoat? Naah -it would be way easier for me to blame the parents - that way I could feed them cheap and easy convenience foods. I''d rather be honest and do right by the parents and the kids. A little extra money and effort on my behalf makes my job a lot easier. A child who is not "under the influence" is not only better behaved, but learns better - from their abc''s to the house rules.
Anyone who has tried eliminating these additives from a child''s diet knows the difference it makes - anyone who hasn''t shouldn''t be so quick to judge.

[kalleym]

I am a Special Education Life Skills Teacher in Texas. I have been a Life Skills teacher for 5 years. I know the difference in all behavior problems and attitudes! Who knows what causes what problem...ADHD, ADD, AUTISM, OCD, ED...whatever the diagnosis. BUT, I do know that food dyes cause seizures! I currently found this out after a student of mine was having multiple seizures after eating the cafeteria food. So, my thought is that if these dyes are causing a child to suffer with ADHD or seizures, then why not pay closer attention to what manufacturers are putting in the foods. It may not look good to eat, but isn''t being healthy and preventing disorders what we REALLY need to think about?